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2016 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico San Lorenzo Gran Selezione

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Latest Sale Price

June 9, 2024 - $57

Estimate

RATINGS

96Wine Enthusiast

...aromas of black- and red-skinned berry, pipe tobacco, tilled earth and a whiff of new leather. Elegant and taut, the palate shows tension, verve and finesse, delivering juicy Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and hints of French oak. It's balanced, with polished, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity.

95The Wine Advocate

...pretty tones of blackberry, cassis, rosemary essence, licorice and a touch of medicinal herb... It shows fiber, richness and lasting structure with a very well-managed quality of tannins.

95Wine Spectator

Offers stunning aromas of black cherry, blackberry and violet, with ripe, sweet fruit on the palate, shaded by iron, earth and tobacco elements. Supple yet well-structured, this should come together soon. Shows terrific harmony and length.

94Vinous / IWC

Black cherry, graphite, sage, mint, juniper berries and licorice give the San Lorenzo a distinctly dark, brooding profile to match its powerful feel... This is such a gorgeous wine.

94James Suckling

This is very polished and refined with chocolate, walnut and berry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Licorice and berry undertones. Balanced, as always.

17+ Jancis Robinson

Subtle spice and stone nose. Concentrated sweet fruit and ripe, grainy tannins in equal proportion with subtle, integrated acidity. Great length.

PRODUCER

Castello di Ama

Castello di Ama is in Gaiole di Chianti, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. It is owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Lorenza Sebasti and Marco Pallanti. Sebasti’s father had purchased the land in the 1970s, and Pallanti became the winemaker there. By the early 1990s the couple were renovating the historic tenuta, or farm, and producing Chianti that impressed reviewers. In 2003 Gambero Rosso honored Marco Pallanti as Winemaker of the year, and in 2005 the journal named Castello di Ama the Best Winery of the Year. Castello di Ama owns 240 acres of vineyards and produces a portfolio of acclaimed Chianti Classicos, as well as red, rose and white Toscana wines. Gambero Rosso regularly gives the estate’s Chianti the highest rating of 3 glasses, and notes that “an authentic style has always been the salient feature of Ama wines…” Some 400,000 bottles are produced annually.

REGION

Italy, Tuscany, Chianti Classico

Chianti is Tuscany’s most famous and historic wine district, and the Chianti Classico DOCG is the most prestigious Chianti appellation. Fittingly, it is located in the heart of the larger Chianti DOCG. Chianti’s wines were so esteemed during the Renaissance that the Medici princes of Florence designated several villages within the Chianti region as discrete production zones, setting up the first appellations in Italy. By the 20th century Chianti was Italy’s primary wine export. But the pizza parlor Chiantis sent to foreign markets were inexpensive, unremarkable reds presented in round-bottomed, straw-covered bottles. To upgrade Chianti wines and the region’s image, the Chianti Classico DOC was created in 1967, then upgraded to DOCG status in 1984, with additional modifications made in 1996. In the last 20 years a consortium of Chianti Classico producers have researched new Sangiovese clones, replanted vineyards, updated cellar practices and generally made Chianti Classico DOCG a world-class appellation. Chianti Classico must contain a minimum of 75% Sangiovese. In the 2014 edition of its annual compendium of wine ratings, Gambero Rosso noted that Chianti Classico DOCG wines were noteworthy for their “significant return to a more defined style, true to tradition.”

TYPE

Red Wine, Sangiovese, D.O.C.G.

This red grape is largely grown in central Italy. As the sole component or in a blend, it gives us Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino and Super Tuscans, among other favorites wines. The name is derived from the Latin for “blood of Jove.”